Chapter 97:
During a rare moment of respite, Naruto lay back in his chair with his eyes closed, trying to gather his strength. Despite the recent string of major events, both S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Umbrella Corporation remained extremely secretive, leaving Konoha with no actionable intel to formulate any countermeasures.
Ever since Orochimaru betrayed the village, Yamato had been relieved of his duties. With no other option, Naruto assigned Yamato to monitor the underground base of the Umbrella Corporation.
As for the ghouls, the Anbu were still investigating.
S.H.I.E.L.D., the Umbrella Corporation, the Ōtsutsuki Clan, ghouls, zombies, the Hulk… bizarre entities that were once rare were now popping up one after another before Naruto like bamboo shoots after the rain. For the first time, Naruto felt overwhelmed and incapable of keeping up.
"Naruto, according to intel from the Hidden Mist Village, it seems the Hulk has been spotted in the Land of Water."
Shikamaru burst into the Hokage's office, pushing the door open in haste.
Upon seeing Shikamaru, Naruto quickly perked up, assuming the appearance of a diligent worker as he stared at the documents on his desk without even lifting his head. "The Hulk from the Umbrella Corporation?"
Shikamaru's expression was grim as he nodded. "That's right, Naruto."
"What exactly are S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Umbrella Corporation trying to do?" Naruto furrowed his brow, lost in thought. Unfortunately, strategic thinking wasn't exactly his strong suit.
"Naruto, I think S.H.I.E.L.D. has already begun executing their plan. Remember what the Flaming Cloud Evil God told us about their military arms race initiative?" Shikamaru continued, his face darkening as Naruto's own expression grew more serious. "If the other villages pour all their funds into buying Hulks and can no longer afford to maintain their normal operations, war will become inevitable as they attempt to seize resources."
Having experienced war himself, Naruto deeply understood its horrors. There was no way he would allow the peace he had worked so hard to achieve to be destroyed. Aside from Sasuke—whom he'd try to persuade—anyone who threatened that peace would be dealt with on sight.
"Naruto, it's time to make a decision. I know S.H.I.E.L.D. has helped you a few times, and that's made you instinctively believe they wouldn't disrupt the peace of the ninja world. But the arms race proposal came directly from their deputy director. S.H.I.E.L.D. is, without a doubt, the most dangerous enemy we've faced so far."
Naruto was taken aback. For someone as rational and meticulous as Shikamaru to label S.H.I.E.L.D. the most dangerous threat implied he ranked them above even the Ōtsutsuki Clan.
Seeing Naruto's slight hesitation, Shikamaru pressed on while the iron was hot: "If they've already started selling Hulks and executing the arms race plan, that means S.H.I.E.L.D. has perfected the technology to mass-produce them. Naruto, do you remember the one hundred thousand White Zetsu from the Fourth Great Ninja War? What if they were replaced with one hundred thousand Hulks—do you think we would've stood a chance back then?"
Even Naruto knew full well that a single Hulk couldn't be taken down easily unless you were at least a jonin. And back then, there weren't nearly enough jonin to go around. Replacing the White Zetsu army with Hulks was a chilling thought.
If Madara Uchiha had been just a bit more patient back then—if he'd kept himself hidden and leaked the technique for creating White Zetsu using Hashirama's cells and the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path—the five great nations would've probably turned on each other first.
Or if Obito had started selling White Zetsu at dirt-cheap prices… Training a ninja takes countless resources, but buying a ready-made soldier? That's easy. While the villages might have worried about loyalty, the daimyō wouldn't have. In those days, the daimyō were already paranoid and insecure because of the ninja. They would've snatched up the Zetsu without hesitation.
That could've sparked a war between the ninja organizations and the ruling governments.
This is precisely what made S.H.I.E.L.D. so terrifying—selling Hulks to anyone with cash, with no concern for consequences. That alone could easily become the trigger for a Fifth Great Ninja War.
"Right now, the Hulk seen in the Land of Water has already demonstrated its power. According to reports from the heads of other villages, the daimyō of each country are seriously considering purchasing Hulks. They've been temporarily talked down by the village leaders, but that won't last. Once those Hulks are bought, the daimyō will likely use them as an excuse to cut funding to the villages. In the future, the ninja themselves might be rendered obsolete."
Naruto's expression shifted repeatedly. As much as he didn't want to believe it, everything Shikamaru said sounded all too plausible.
"You're right, Shikamaru." After some hesitation, Naruto made his decision. "Anyone who threatens the peace of the ninja world—no matter who they are—must not be forgiven. From here on, the village will dedicate all resources to investigating S.H.I.E.L.D. I want you to coordinate with the other villages. See if they'll join us in the effort."
"Yes, Lord Hokage," Shikamaru replied.
Konoha's intelligence units sprang into action at Naruto's order. But from the start, the Five Great Nations' efforts were doomed to fail—because S.H.I.E.L.D. currently had fewer than ten members.
Their director still hadn't been pulled out by Shunhi, and as for the deputy director, Shunhi himself—he was nothing more than a survivalist with a talent for erasing his own presence.
"Lord Hokage! Urgent news!"
A Konoha Anbu agent burst into the office.
"What happened?"
Naruto's heart sank at the sight of the agent's panic. He remembered that, under his orders, Anbu, Sasuke, and Sai were currently investigating ghoul activity in the village, with Kōsuke Hōji as their lead. Could it be—had something happened to Sasuke?
"Sir, we were ambushed on the outskirts of the village—"
"What about Sasuke? Is he okay?"
"Lord Sasuke and Lord Sai are both unharmed."
"That's a relief… Go on."
"…But the ghouls took Mitsuki."
Interrupted by Naruto, the Anbu agent lost his train of thought for a moment and ended up blurting out the conclusion.
In truth, ghouls had suddenly appeared in the village and took Mitsuki, Boruto, and Sarada hostage. While Anbu arrived in time to rescue Boruto and Sarada, Mitsuki had already been taken away.
Naruto and Shikamaru exchanged glances, both puzzled as to why the ghouls would target Mitsuki specifically.
"Hey! Old man! We've got to go save Mitsuki!"
Boruto suddenly barged in, with Sarada close behind.
"Boruto, we will definitely rescue Mitsuki. But first, we have to find out where he is."
Naruto would never abandon a single member of Konoha—even if Mitsuki was the son of Orochimaru, who had once betrayed the village.
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